Acer and Medion introduce Windows 7 touchscreen PCs

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By Mike Jennings in Berlin

Posted on 5 Sep 2009 at 12:29

Acer and Medion have introduced new all-in-one touchscreen PCs that take advantage of Windows 7's multitouch features and Microsoft Surface applications.

Multitouch is one of the key new features of Windows 7, and enables the PC to be controlled by a selection of gestures - zooming into photographs with a pinching motion, for instance, or twisting fingers around a photograph to rotate it.

Functionality added by Microsoft Surface – which includes a practical, Google Maps-style “Globe” application as well as a more light-hearted “Lagoon” interactive screensaver – is more capable than the software we’ve seen previously on touchscreen systems.

Medion’s Touch X9613 is the larger of the two systems, boasting a 24in screen with a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. Inside there’s a Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor, GeForce GT240M graphics chip and a pair of 500GB hard disks, as well as a Blu-ray drive and DVB-T TV tuner.

Below the screen is a separate panel housing touch-sensitive media controls, a physical volume control and, bizarrely, a small Windows Sideshow screen – although we’re not sure that this will prove particularly useful.

Acer’s machine, the Aspire Z5610, features a 23in, 1,920 x 1,080 screen and a similarly powerful specification, with a Core 2 Quad processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 1TB hard disk. While the Acer also offered a TV tuner, there was no sign of Blu-ray.

Acer is also planning to release several versions of its touchscreen PC, with this high-end model costing around €1,600. The company’s representative couldn’t confirm how many more models will be produced, their specifications or eventual prices.

Medion’s machine, meanwhile, is slated to cost at least €1,500, with more powerful models proving more expensive.

Hands-on tests

We were able to get our hands on both machines here at IFA and we’re pleased to report that both systems are eminently usable. On first play, we prefer the Acer – its screen may be a touch smaller, but the TFT felt far more responsive and precise.

The Medion’s panel, by contrast, often didn’t respond to our pokes and prods at all. Nevertheless, its Blu-ray tuner and larger screen should still make it a tempting prospect for home entertainment fans.

We’ll be on-hand to deliver reviews of both these machines as soon as they’re available in the UK, which we’re assured will be before the end of the year.